About the California Department of Justice

The California Constitution establishes the Attorney General as the state's chief law officer, responsible for ensuring that the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced. The Attorney General is vested with broad powers and carries out these important responsibilities through the California Department of Justice.

The Department of Justice includes over 4,500 employees who are engaged in a variety of law enforcement and legal services. The department's main offices are in Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Oakland and Fresno.

The Attorney General and Department of Justice employees take seriously the mission to serve our state and work honorably every day to fulfill California's promise. We invite you to learn more about the exciting opportunities that await you as a employee with the Attorney General's Office, Department of Justice.

Legal Services

The department's lawyers take on the challenge to represent the people of the biggest and most diverse state in the nation to protect them from violent criminals, preserve the environment, maintain a fair marketplace, and, above all, preserve the rule of law. Attorneys within the department argue the legal merits of cases in the highest courts in the state and nation. As a result, many of the cases handled by our attorneys result in important legal precedents that interpret the law for California and the nation.

The department organizes its legal services into three main divisions. The Division of Civil Law provides legal services to many other statewide officers and for most state agencies. The Division of Criminal Law represents the people of California in criminal appeals and statewide prosecutions of certain crimes. The Public Rights Division handles litigation to preserve California's natural resources and protect Californians by enforcing safe environmental, consumer protection, antitrust, charitable trusts and civil rights laws.

Public Safety and Law Enforcement

The Department of Justice also provides critical public safety and law enforcement support services statewide. There are approximately 500 sworn peace officers and 600 other law enforcement personnel involved in such services as criminal investigations ranging from high-tech and white collar crime to acts of violence, narcotics enforcement, gambling control, criminal history information, and forensic laboratory services. The California Justice Information Services provides criminal justice intelligence, identification, information and technology services to law enforcement, regulatory agencies and the public. View the Special Agent video.

Administration

The Administrative Services Division provides assistance and support services to the department's line programs as well as legal support services. Executive Programs include functions not directly related to litigation or law enforcement responsibilities.